Episode 371: Evolving the Reputation of HR for the Organization With Jill Waite, CPO at Portillo’s Hot Dogs

The biggest challenge was evolving the reputation of HR for the organization. It had been known as more of a compliance and regulatory or “you only called HR when you were in trouble,” to a strategic partner that was an enabler of our culture and supported the organization in its strategy and growth plans. Episode 371: Evolving the Reputation of HR for the Organization With Jill Waite, CPO at Portillo’s Hot Dogs   Welcome to the Workology Podcast, a podcast for the disruptive workplace leader. Join host Jessica Miller-Merrell, founder of Workology.com, as she sits down and gets to the bottom of trends, tools, and case studies for the business leader, HR, and recruiting professional who is tired of the status quo. Now here’s Jessica with this episode of Workology. Jessica Miller-Merrell: [00:00:49.83] Welcome to the Workology Podcast powered by Ace The HR Exam and Upskill HR. These are two of the courses I offer for HR certification prep and re-certification for HR leaders. This podcast is part of a series on the Workology Podcast focused on the roles and responsibilities of Chief Human Resources Officers or CHROs. The CHRO is sometimes called the VP of People or the Chief People Officer, and it’s an executive C-level role that deals with managing human resources as well as with organizational development and implementing policies of change to improve the overall efficiency of the company. The CHRO podcast series on Workology is sponsored by HR Benchmark Survey. Share your insights and join our survey by going to HRBenchmarkSurvey.com. One of the reasons I have wanted to do this series and we keep doing this series is because every HR role, head of HR role is different, as you’ll see in the center view. I want aspiring CHROs to know the types of skills and experiences they need to promote into a future CHRO role. Along with hearing from senior HR leaders about how they’re partnering and collaborating with their executive peers. Now, before I introduce our guest, I want to hear from you. Text “PODCAST”, the word “PODCAST” to 512-548-3005, and you can ask me questions, leave comments and make suggestions for future guests. That’s podcast to 512-548-3005. This is my community text number and I want to hear from you. Today, I’m joined by Jill Waite. She’s the Chief People Officer at Portillo’s Hot Dogs, a restaurant chain with more than 60 locations headquartered in Oakbrook, Illinois. Prior to joining Portillo’s in 2019, Jill has held several HR and operations roles in retail, grocery and fitness industries with companies such as Sephora and 24-Hour Fitness. Jill was hired to reinvigorate Portillo’s culture for its 6000 team members and is responsible for building the talent pipeline to support the company’s growth. Jill, I’m so excited to have you on the podcast today. Welcome to the Workology Podcast. Jill Waite: [00:03:03.32] Thank you, Jessica. So it’s such an honor to be here today. Thank you. Jessica Miller-Merrell: [00:03:07.28] I am a retail and restaurant person. That’s my background in HR. So I love retention, culture and staffing for, for the hourly workforce, so I can’t wait to dig in and talk more. Jill Waite: [00:03:20.96] I am as well. Jessica Miller-Merrell: [00:03:22.01] Let’s start with some background. How did you get your start in HR and how has your work evolved over time into your current role? Jill Waite: [00:03:30.20] Yeah, so similar to you. I started off in the retail industry,